The Bengals signed half of their draft class on Friday.
The team announced that it signed defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson in the third round, cornerback Josh Newton in the fifth round, tight end Tanner McLachlan in the sixth round, seventh-round safety Daijahn Anthony and center Matt Lee in the seventh round. Five other picks, including first-round pick Amarius Mims, remain unsigned.
Jackson had 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for Texas A&M last season. He was selected one round behind defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, so the Bengals took a big step to get younger on the defensive front.
Newton started all 27 games he played at TCU the last two years and Anthony, who played at Ole Miss, was the only other draft pick in the secondary. McLachlan has thrown six touchdowns for Arizona over the past two seasons and Lee has started every game after transferring to Miami in 2023.
